Olympic gold medal rower James Cracknell, who failed in his bid to be an MEP for the South West earlier this year, has confirmed he wants to be a Conservative MP.

Mr Cracknell had hinted he would run for Parliament after narrowly missing out on being one of the region’s representatives in Brussels, but said he would mull over his next step.

He told the Western Morning News in May: “I genuinely believe I have a lot to offer. And I want to do something as a public service. I’ll have to decide where I’m best suited and where I can make a difference.”

Now Mr Cracknell has admitted he has submitted his application to the Tory party to fight a seat in May’s general election.

Comments

He's a successful sportsman, so he thinks he should be entitled to a safe Tory seat, where he can earn a decent wage - fantastic expenses and a great pension. No doubt he will continue with his sport and treat being an MP as a part time job, just like Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox. With people like this running the Country, no wonder we're in a mess.